Grants of up to £1,000 per year are available to young people from low-income backgrounds who wish to study a vocational subject, thanks to an initiative from Wiltshire Community Foundation. The programme is currently open for applications, and grants will be considered in November 2024 and January 2025. You can apply now, click here.
Young people aged 14-24 can apply if they are studying or planning to study a vocational subject such as business, IT, engineering, health and social care, childcare, hairdressing, beauty, cookery, animal care, plumbing, construction, electrical work and many more.
To be eligible, the young person must live in Wiltshire or Swindon, and their parents or guardians need to be receiving a means-tested benefit.
The grants can help towards various costs associated with the applicant’s chosen course, such as the costs of books, resources, equipment, study/field trips, IT software, and travel.
Wiltshire Community Foundation Grants Manager Nicola Hillier said: “We are delighted to be running our Vocational Grants programme for another academic year. As many young people have collected their GCSE results this week, these grants allow us to support those from low-income households who wouldn’t usually have access to the same opportunities that most of us take for granted. They remove the barriers that often stand between ambition and achievement, enabling young people to pursue their chosen course and future careers with confidence.
“We understand that applying for a grant can be daunting, but our online application form is simple, and we’re here to support you throughout the process. The list of courses and use of the grant is by no means exhaustive, and we’d love to hear from anyone who isn’t sure whether their own needs could be covered by the grant so we can discuss it.
“We want this programme to be as inclusive as possible.”
GCSE results at St John’s best since before the pandemic
